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The master

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Threats of the changing climate

Warmer, drier, more extreme rainfalls

1.      Migration of plants to higher altitudes

2.      Forest fires

3.      Wetland’s vegetation disappears

4.      Endemic species disappear (especially at higher altitudes)

5.      Spread of invasive species

6.      Soil erosion due to heavy rains

7.      Sea level rises

8.      Island species are more vulnerable, because of there is less chance to migrate

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Overexploitation of wild plant species can result into their disappearance and destruction of the balance of the ecosystem.
1) Cultivation in greenhouses
2) School education about plant species conservation
3) Encourage people to grow their own botanical garden
4) Introduce new laws to prohibit wild plant harvestation .

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Life Natura Themis project

All citizens have the right, the duty and the responsibility to live in harmony together with nature and to ensure that our daily actions support our living and that of the future generations in a healthy environment. The Constitution of Greece, the National as well as the European Legislation says so!

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All citizens have the right, the duty and the responsibility to live in harmony together with nature and to ensure that our daily actions support our living and that of the future generations in a healthy environment. The Constitution of Greece, the National as well as the European Legislation says so!

Nevertheless, people have reached the limits our planet's natural resources and the bearing capacity of Earth as a result of the irrational waste of resources, the over exaggerated private and public development activities, the daily small and larger interferences to our natural surroundings.

Nature has no voice. Let us become the voice of Nature. Tools and legislation already exist, information and knowledge are now widely available; culture and education need still to improve.

In short, these are the messages that the TV and radio spots produced within the framework of the LIFE Natura Themis project want to send. The TV and radio spots are freely available for promotion.

Share with us the message for the effective implementation of the Environmental Legislation and the Environmental Liability Directive, inform your friendly and social environment on their rights and responsibilities to live in and sustain a rich and healthy natural environment. We have inherited the environment we live in and we should pass it on to the next generations in the same or a better condition...

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Project' s TV Spots with english subtitles on air! | LIFE NATURA THEMIS

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All citizens have the right, the duty and the responsibility to live in harmony together with nature and to ensure that our daily actions support our living and that of the future generations in a healthy environment. The Constitution of Greece, the National as well as the European Legislation says so!

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Hierophis gemonensis

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Pelophylax cretensis

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Γεωπληροφορικός χάρτης παρακολούθησης περιβαλλοντικής παραβατικότητας | LIFE NATURA THEMIS

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Γεωπληροφορικός χάρτης παρακολούθησης περιβαλλοντικής παραβατικότητας

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Monika is holding Podarcis cretensis.

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Bruno with  Tarentola mauritaica.

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Chalcides ocellatus

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Olga is holding a small Lacerta trilineata

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Cichorium spinosum, commonly known as "stamnagkathi"  belongs in the family of Asteraceae and is a bitter-sweet green that grows in Crete and part of various dishes raw or marinated .

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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References

1. https://natura2000.crete.gov.gr/uploads/tx_naturalib/317_KOURNA%20FYLLADIO.pdf

2. http://ecovalue-crete.eu/en/sites/gr4340022

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Sideritis syriaca, commonly known as ironwort, is a plant similar to chamomile, used in the Balkans (where it is known as "mountain tea") to make a sweet beverage. It grows on a high altitude in the mountains. It is commonly found on wet grounds, on the high pastures, above 1500 m.

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Adaptation of plants to changes of environment
Climate change in Crete

Phylogenetical and phylogeographical studies have demonstrated the complex historical biogeography of the Mediterranean Basin and also the importance of islands as reservoirs of unique genetic lineages, notably for most endemics and narrowly distributed plants (Médail & Diadema, 2009). Nevertheless, the time frame and evolutionary consequences of biogeographical events linked to repeated cycles of island connections and isolation, in relation to marine regressions-transgressions, remain largely unknown (Mansion et al., 2008). This is of particularly concern for efficient evolutionary conservation of these heterogeneous insular floras.

With the biome crisis of the Mediterranean basin (Hoekstra et al. 2005), islands constitute key ecological systems to ensure the preservation of coastal plant biodiversity. And while insular systems still represent fascinating ecological systems, they are also key entities to disentangle the role of environmental versus human pressures in the long-term preservation of these biodiversity hot-spots. Because of increased threats across the Mediterranean region and the complex consequences of climate change (Klausmeyer & Shaw, 2009), it is crucial to observe, monitor, and analyze changes in vegetation and plant biodiversity across ecological and biogeographical gradients. Mediterranean islands, notably the small ones, are favorable sites for such long-term observations as well as for monitoring at various spatial scales. These “natural insular microcosms” are indeed appropriate systems to study adaptation to climate change by species or communities, and the functional biogeography approach (Violle et al. 2014) is undoubtedly an interesting topic that needs further research.

The diversity of situations facing Mediterranean islands should facilitate their integration as laboratories or testing grounds of extinction in relation to global change and human pressures. To this end, it would be useful to combine reactive approaches on the most threatened (often largest) islands, and proactive approaches on relatively less threatened islands (notably small islands and islets). Multi-disciplinary collaboration among prehistorians, archaeologists, palaeoecologists, historians, socio-economists, soil scientists, ecologists and biogeographers is needed to disentangle the complex interactions between past human societies and insular environments. Enhancing these interdisciplinary research efforts is a prerequisite for the design of sound policies and practices concerning the conservation of these unique and fragile insular floras and plant communities (Médail, 2013). The smallest islands should not be neglected, as they are often isolated territories where micro-speciation processes occurs, offering modern refuge-areas for diversity that is put at risk by the impacts of human activity on the coasts of the adjacent mainland.

Owing to their high biotic originality and vulnerability to global change, Mediterranean islands and islets urgently require integrated and ambitious conservation planning aimed at the long-term preservation of their outstanding biodiversity and cultural heritage.

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Management Proposals

1. Restrict human activities such as overuse of fertilizers and pesticides

2. Parking zones

3. There should be a treatment station of water

4. Direct plan of organization about construction regulations

5. Management for recreational activities for tourists(bike boats,motor boats,swimmig)

6. Organize awareness campaigns for visitors and citizens

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Natura 2000
The need for concerted action on a pan european level to protect natural ecotypes and wild fauna and flora led the council of europe to take the initiative to from the natura 2000 network,whose purpose is to protect natural sites throughout europe.
This is an impportant site for breeding, migrant and wintering waterbirds. Species of concern include Egretta garzetta and Aythya nyroca. The hydrological system supplies and maintains a great peripheral area of humid land, which, especially around Almyros estuary, is mixed either with cultivations or with land which used to be cultivated in the past

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Λίμνη Κουρνά και εκβολή Αλμυρού | NATURA Crete Value

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Η περιοχή περιλαμβάνει την εκβολή του Αλμυρού, την παραλία της Γεωργιούπολης, και τη Λίμνη Κουρνά. Το υδρολογικό σύστημα παρέχει και υποστηρίζει μια μεγάλη περιφερειακά περιοχή υγρής γης, η οποία, ειδικά γύρω από την εκβολή του Αλμυρού, αναμειγνύεται είτε με καλλιέργειες είτε με γη που καλλιεργούνταν στο παρελθόν. Στην εκβολή υπάρχουν καλαμιώνες Phragmites australis.

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Group 1 Kourna Lake : conservation and management

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Field trip in Kourna lake
During our course we had a field thrip at kourna lake to study the biodiversity in what concerns herpetofauna and flora in lakes habitat.
It’s no secret that the Kourna Lake is suffering tremendous ecological strain. While being there,we were concerned about the following problems :

1. Human infrustraction(loss of ecological balance)

2. Waste water treatment

3. Downgrade of the wetland(management of visitor capacity)

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Lake Kournas winter 2019 Затопило Крит Озеро Курнас после дождей

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Scolymus hispanicus, the common golden thistle or Spanish oyster thistle, is a flowering plant in the genus Scolymus in the family Asteraceae, native to southern and western Europe, north to northwestern France.

Since at least the time of Theophrastus in ancient Greece, this plant has been known for medicinal and culinary uses. Although it has been cultivated at times, currently most of the plant which is consumed comes from harvesting of wild plant.

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Adaptation of plants to changes of environment
Examples

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Overexploitation  in Crete mostly affects plants that are edible since people harvest them from the wild  in order to put them to their food , leaving the plants too damaged for them to be able to grow again.  Such examples are  Scolymus hispanicus ,Sideritis syriaca and Cichorium spinosum.

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Adaptation of plants to changes of environmental factors

Drought-escaping plants – annuals which germinate and grow only when there is sufficient moisture available to complete their life cycle. Only their seeds persist during times of drought. Annuals.

Drought-evading plants – non-succulent perennials which restrict their growth activity to periods when moisture is available. Typically, they are drought-deciduous shrubs which go dormant or die back during dry periods.

Drought-enduring plants – evergreen shrubs. Extensive root systems coupled with various morphological and physiological adaptations of their aerial parts enable these hardy xerophytes to maintain growth even in times of extreme water stress.

Drought-resisting plants – succulent perennials. The water stored in their swollen leaves and stems is usually used very sparingly.

Other adaptation:

1. Microphylly – typical leaves of warm desert plants are small and narrow, a design that enables leaf temperature to be near ambient temperature even when stomata are closed, so leaves can avoid lethal summertime temperatures during summer drought.

2. Solar angles – Steeper leaf angles (parallel to solar radiation) reduces solar interception at midday during summer months, when air temperature and water loss may be most severe.

3. Solar tracking

4. Leaf reflectance / leaf absorptance

5. Leaf type – Finely divided compound leaves, like those of Acacia, decrease the rate of water loss during periods of water stress, and reduce head load when stomata are closed.

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Over the years plants have been of great interest to humans both for medicinal and cosmetical reasons. In the Mediterranean , it is known that the Minoan civilisation took advantage of nature's plants as it was their main food source but  also their medicine since most of them would have healing properties . Nowadays , more and more people tend to exploit those properties without taking any precaution about what effect that would have to its species .

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Kourna Lake : conservation and management

Getting familiar with kourna lake
Kournas Lake is the only freshwater lake in Crete. It was known as Lake Koressia in antiquity but later took its current name from the Arabic word for lake.The lake is in a beautiful landscape, lying in a valley among the hills, about 4 km from Georgioupolis in Chania Prefecture (west Crete).Lake Kournas is relatively small, with a maximum length of 1,087 m and a maximum breadth of 880 m. It covers an area of 579,000 sq. m. and is generally shallow, 22.5 m at its deepest point, while it lies approximately 20 m above sea level.

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Herpeto...talent?  (Group 2 / the best group)

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Herpeto...talent?  (Group 2 / the best group)

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Crete is situated in the Mediterranean sea and has a lot of species characteristic to this environment. Typical Greek extensively managed olive orchards feature a rich herbaceous undergrowth and dry-stone walls which are home to several reptile species.

There are in total 4 snake, 8 lizard, 5 turtle and 4 frog species in Crete. Out of 21 species we have managed to find 8 in three days on the field. The species we found are:
Hierophis gemonensis - Balkan whip snake
Telescopus fallax - Cat snake
Lacerta trilineata - Balkan green lizard
Podracis cretensis (endemic) - Cretan wall lizard

Chalcides ocellatus - Ocellated skink

Tarentola mauritaica - Moorish gecko

Hemydactilus turcicus - Turkish gecko

Pelophylax cretensis (endemic) - Cretan water frog

Habitats visited:
- Kourna lake
- rocky shrubland (Agios Nikolaos)
- pine forest in high altitude (Giouhtas Mountain)
- wetlands and streams (Argyroupolis)
- human settlements (Plaka, Arxanes)
- dry walls (Elounda)

Searching methods:
We found out that searching for herpetofauna is not easy. It take time and patience to find reptiles and amphibians. They are usually hidden under rocks and even under garbage, so it's a good technique to turn stones. But don't forget to turn them back after examining the animal!
You have to be quiet to hear them moving and observe the habitat very carefully.

Preparation of the field work. Before going to the field, you have to learn what species to expect in that particular habitat you are going to visit.  Don't forget about important equipment: hiking shoes and clothes for yourself, first aid kit and most importantly...water.

You can catch them by hands or with special equipment like gloves for venomous snakes but don't be afraid because here are no venomous snakes on Crete! Other equipment can be dip nets for amphibians, rubber bands, nooses for lizards, socks for  collecting specimens for scientific studies. A camera can always be nice for taking good pictures of species and habitats and especially when you don't know the species you  can just identify it later! Its good to record where and what species you found.

Timing: we were searching for them in the hottest time of the day when reptiles are hiding. So it would have been better to start searching early in the morning when reptiles are more active.
We were searching for them in the spring when they are most active. We could observe both adult and juvenile specimens, and even a gravid skink.

It is always good to talk to local community for information about their observations.

We found a lot of species but for the next trip some aspects like time and methods should be organized better. The 1/3 of the cretan herpetofauna was not disappointing at all, and if the above are followed the next explorers may be more herpeto...talented! For us it was a really nice experience!

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Overexploitation of useful wild plants